Over the past week, The Monroe Times has offered our endorsement of candidates in several races in front of area voters. In making these endorsements, we tried to identify candidates we believe are best able to provide the needed leadership in their respective offices and best represent local residents.
We did not endorse a candidate in the gubernatorial race, nor the state attorney general or state treasurer races, as we were unable to meet with those running for state-wide, constitutional offices.
As this heated election season draws to close, we keep hearing what a relief it will be when it's all over, and the airwaves are filled again with regular commercials instead of all the negative and misleading campaign ads.
Yet this is hardly a new phenomena. Rather, it's become standard operating procedure at election time.
The danger is if the negativity keeps you from voting. So rather than tuning out democracy completely, might we suggest turning yourself on to other sources of information?
Be an informed voter. Get your own information from credible sources - instead of each campaign's latest advertising sound bite.
You wouldn't purchase a new vehicle based solely on slick advertisements making bold claims - why would you elect someone based solely on the content of a paid political ad or mailer?
Online forums, including ours, can help voters gauge opinions on both sides but they are hardly a source of reliable, non-partisan information. Same goes for political blogs, which are all over the Internet. Trouble is, most of the assertions on those blogs are drawn from the opinions of others or based on snippets of legitimate news stories - very little original reporting goes on in the blogosphere. So especially in this new age, in which campaigns are increasingly dictated by outside interests and monied contributors, we urge local voters to consider the source.
The Monroe Times has sought to provide coverage of local and regional races. For a broader perspective, there are other professional news outlets - those that still adhere to standards of ethical journalism - that offer candidate profiles and comparisons. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Wisconsin State Journal websites - jsonline.com and madison.com - are good places to start for more information on state races. In addition, nonpartisan websites such as votesmart.org provide voting records for incumbent legislators, another valuable tool in the decision-making process.
Our region and our nation have been through plenty in recent years. Politicians are trading on the national anger over jobs, taxes and budget deficits. Still, it's important to place blame in the right place.
Don't let the mudslinging keep you from casting your vote. Be smarter than the campaign tactics, and make your voice heard Tuesday.
We did not endorse a candidate in the gubernatorial race, nor the state attorney general or state treasurer races, as we were unable to meet with those running for state-wide, constitutional offices.
As this heated election season draws to close, we keep hearing what a relief it will be when it's all over, and the airwaves are filled again with regular commercials instead of all the negative and misleading campaign ads.
Yet this is hardly a new phenomena. Rather, it's become standard operating procedure at election time.
The danger is if the negativity keeps you from voting. So rather than tuning out democracy completely, might we suggest turning yourself on to other sources of information?
Be an informed voter. Get your own information from credible sources - instead of each campaign's latest advertising sound bite.
You wouldn't purchase a new vehicle based solely on slick advertisements making bold claims - why would you elect someone based solely on the content of a paid political ad or mailer?
Online forums, including ours, can help voters gauge opinions on both sides but they are hardly a source of reliable, non-partisan information. Same goes for political blogs, which are all over the Internet. Trouble is, most of the assertions on those blogs are drawn from the opinions of others or based on snippets of legitimate news stories - very little original reporting goes on in the blogosphere. So especially in this new age, in which campaigns are increasingly dictated by outside interests and monied contributors, we urge local voters to consider the source.
The Monroe Times has sought to provide coverage of local and regional races. For a broader perspective, there are other professional news outlets - those that still adhere to standards of ethical journalism - that offer candidate profiles and comparisons. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Wisconsin State Journal websites - jsonline.com and madison.com - are good places to start for more information on state races. In addition, nonpartisan websites such as votesmart.org provide voting records for incumbent legislators, another valuable tool in the decision-making process.
Our region and our nation have been through plenty in recent years. Politicians are trading on the national anger over jobs, taxes and budget deficits. Still, it's important to place blame in the right place.
Don't let the mudslinging keep you from casting your vote. Be smarter than the campaign tactics, and make your voice heard Tuesday.
